Hang 'Em High
by Keikaku
Summary: When Mokuba died, Seto disappeared, and the murders of several prominent business men followed through. Yami happened to be wandering in the minefield. Prideshipping, Murder, Mindplay.
1. Shotgun Sinners

**AN**: This takes place under the pretext that Yami didn't leave to his own world at the end of the series, and instead chose to stay after separating from Yuugi. Now the matter concerning whether this is set in anime or manga canon, well the only thing from the anime I'm using is the fact that Yami separated bodies with Yuugi at the end, but everything in between is from the manga, including most of the events Kaiba or Yami may talk about in the future.

I have a habit of rating things T when the first chapter is as such, but when (if?) I post next chapter the rating will most likely change to **M**. I put the rating as T for now because I'm not sure how bloody this is going to get.

…/

**Hang 'Em High**

_1. Shotgun Sinners_

…/

The time of the funeral was brimming with sunlight.

Yami could have bantered at the workings of life, not in a humored manner but more so out of the overwhelming sense of irony. This had been the finest condition Domino City had to offer in years according to Yuugi's maunderings, all of which were spouted in attempt to distract him from this unjustified sense of grief. Yuugi felt every discomfort, every fault, every burden even if he was in no way involved with the cause or situation.

Guards dressed in garments fashioned completely of black coverings stood around the premises, some even walking warily to inspect every region within their line of sight. Sunglasses provoked a symbol of callousness, and so did the lack of noise, but of course nothing less was to be expected of Kaiba's employees. The reflection stopped once Yami noticed a few guards turning heads towards a call the more veteran looking guard took.

"What do you mean?" He pressed on the ear piece as a few guards huddled around.

"Seems like something's wrong…" Yuugi muttered quietly to Yami.

He nodded, noticing some of the men approaching them. "Perhaps it's time to leave."

* * *

Mornings weren't usually held in such an unnerving atmosphere, bereft of most sounds that accompanied the weekend daybreaks. Yami and Yuugi usually had a go at a few of the old games they'd find in the attic of the shop, playing them after testing to see if they still had their functioning contrivances. And it was indeed the fact that no games were played during Yuugi's severe restlessness, that no outings with their companions were scheduled, that caused Yami to mindlessly watch the television as Yuugi flipped through channels.

"Wait- go back." Yami sat up, leaning in a bit.

"This one?" Yuugi stopped at a broadcast, a familiar name plastered on the banner set at the bottom of the screen. "Are they talking about…?"

_'The CEO of the very influential Kaiba Corporation has gone missing. Seto Kaiba has not been sited since Thursday night around midnight, strangely soon after the revelation that his younger brother, Mokuba Kaiba, was dead. Police say-'_

"That's strange isn't it, Aibou?" Yami turned to face Yuugi who slightly trembled as a solemn expression conveyed his concern. "…But it's probably best if we don't concern ourselves with it."

"But… What if something happened?"

"Maybe Kaiba's just taking time off, catching a break for sanity's sake? It wouldn't be doubtful what with his situation."

"The guards…" he muttered.

"Were probably just concerned over something else. Stock related? I don't know, I'm not familiar with business."

"But they're body guards. They don't pay attention to those sort of things."

"You're reading too much into this, Aibou." Yami positioned a hand on the unsound shoulder, waiting for Yuugi to stop shaking before he released his grip. "You haven't been sleeping lately either, why don't you rest? I'll just see if I can get a small amount of information. Considering Kaiba's obsession with our rivalry, they're bound to tell me something."

Yuugi nodded slowly, still furrowing his eyebrows in frustration and concern.

* * *

Yami waited until the evening to stop by the building, anticipating the time in which Yuugi would fall asleep before actually stepping outside.

The warm weather hadn't lasted long. Yami began to question his outlook on life itself as he bound his jacket close with his arms used as a makeshift barrier from the gale. It seemed unfitting that the cool weather worked its way into the city when the funeral was over. Perhaps it was also unfitting to feel that every funeral, especially Mokuba's, was obligated to be accompanied by morbid rain and cold temperatures.

Truthfully, he had been a little bothered himself, especially after learning the disappearance had taken place shortly after Mokuba's death. Kaiba had revealed himself, perhaps even without realizing the problem, to be unstable in the aspect of his relationship with his brother on many occasions. Mokuba was that one piece, the most important part of the man. Without it, well Yami was afraid to envision the possibilities.

He found himself at an unfamiliar corner and began to turn his eyes. "It's getting too dark… I should have asked for directions before I left."

A little more wandering and again, again he found himself in unfamiliar territory, constantly huffing in frustration. When he came to the banks of a river he stopped for a second, noticing a shifting body in the distance struggling to move something.

Yami slowly approached from behind. "…Excuse me. Do you know where-"

He stood frighteningly still when the man turned around to face him, penetrating blue eyes, and perhaps it was this particular shade of dusk but his hair seemed to be black… but with those eyes, that gaze, it was inevitable.

"Kaiba?"

And then he felt the sensation of a blunt object slamming against his head.


	2. Wild Eyed Jokers

**A/N** In the manga Kaiba does admit to himself that he is less concerned with getting revenge at Yami and cares more about just dueling him again (this was in chapter twenty-five). I think that would lead to some compulsion to keep him alive. Yami gives Kaiba a borderline-obsessive drive in the dueling sense, whereas Mokuba is in an affectionate sense. Somewhere these lines meet and Kaiba seems just as defensive of Yami as he does over anything else he obsesses over.

After Kaiba's mind crush he began to become less and less "evil," and with that push, throughout the series it's especially due to Mokuba's plea for Kaiba to let go of his hatred and return to 'Seto' (which he can never really due because of the irreversible six years of torment). But now that Mokuba's gone, Kaiba's pretty screwed up and his rationale has once again quite warped.

_And thank you to __**Coolaloo**__, __**The Solitude**__, __**JollyBigSis**__, and __**Inopportune Opportunist**__ for reviewing!_

…/

**Hang 'Em High**

_2. Wild Eyed Jokers_

…/

Masses of unusual specks filled the innings of his eyelids.

He couldn't tell whether he was fully conscious or not, but noticed that the usual task of opening his eyes had become similar to lifting lead, and the blur of shifting hues were working in his closed sight. He eventually ceased all effort, instead focusing and finally noticing the drifting noise resounding from across the room. It made the perceptible sounds of subtle shifting, but stopped when Yami's eyes flickered to an aimless source. Perhaps his somewhat awakened state hadn't gone unnoticed.

He felt a harsh prod in his side then, as if it were a shoe nudging his ribcage to check his consciousness. Yami couldn't help but voice a grunt beneath a tightly shut mouth and then began to notice how severely his head was throbbing.

"You're awake then," a voice sneered, deep and profound, and yet it retained a sense of ambiguity.

Even Yami's obscure state of mind came to realize who it was quickly, and he forced his eyes open in spite of the resistance.

"Get up, things need to be cleared."

His body demanded the opposition of the order, but his mind's intuition and experience warned him better. He writhed until he heard the clinging of metal and felt the pull of constriction on his arms and legs. He tensed, growing more and more aware that he was currently placed in a threatening situation and widened his eyes further.

"What did you see?" His tone demanded a quick reply.

"Kaiba, I-" He felt a blow at his side by the same foot that had slightly nudged him from before, only now it was of more malevolent intent.

"I'm not going to kill you if you tell me what you saw."

'_Kill me?' _he thought_._ Yami's lip started the formation of a word but simply faltered in response. He breathed. "You with black hair near the river… pushing something, but I thought you were _missing_, how-"

"Don't talk. I'm thinking." There was a moment of silence, but Yami no longer held onto the prospect of closing his eyes. He was entirely too anxious and was still reeling from the fact that he was chained, and Kaiba was… "You're aware of my change in appearance, and you've seen too much for me. I'll have to keep you here until I decide what to do."

"_Where_? What is this place? Why am I here?" He attempted to sit forward but instead found himself lagging to the side with his neck desperately stretched upward to get a better glance at Kaiba. It was almost inevitably him, yet Yami couldn't help but need a closer look to be sure.

Again he paused, contemplating, furrowing his brow. "I'll show you."

He made his way to the door, and Yami wanted to speak out against the act with the hope of gathering more information but stopped himself from speaking. He doubted he could say anything now anyway. He had been in situations of these kinds, but when he was he at least had someone with him. It just felt incredibly despairing and isolating to know that he was not only physically alone but also internally, spiritually.

The creaking sounds of the door to his right captured his attention, noticing not only Kaiba's legs coming down the few stairs, but also a black bag, and he tensed.

"This," he began, tossing the bag to the side, "is the future of Masaru Kichida. He's one of the Japan's leading founders of advanced technology, not only with gaming systems, but with all varieties of industrial entertainment."

Yami paused before bringing out his conclusion. "You're going to kill him… because his company also makes gaming systems?"

For a slight second anger took hold of his expression, but then he began to laugh, profoundly, and then said, "If I wanted to I could hack into all of his company's information and build the systems twice as fast."

"So-"

"Don't speak. You're irritating me, though I admit that was an amusing thought you had. This has nothing to do with his technology." Kaiba looked at the bag, twisting his face slightly in disdain. "He wanted _my_ technology; his company has had a bitter rivalry towards mine that transcends even my adoptive father's time. My company is far superior to his, he wanted it destroyed, and he not only has a bitter hatred towards it, but towards me as well."

"I've never thought of you as the type to care."

"I didn't, which is why I didn't waste time with it." He looked back at Yami. "He knew he couldn't get to me. Not only do I have defensive training myself, but my locations are always changing. So he went after something that would affect me indirectly- he sent business men whom he probably bribed to take Mokuba."

Yami averted his gaze, already predicting the outcome.

"The guards who looked after Mokuba last time didn't prevent his kidnapping. I kept rehiring, but I should have defended him myself." He turned to the bag again, eyes widening with an intensified anger that rivaled any past expression of rage. "…They killed _him_, not me. It wasn't merely about the company, but about attacking me personally. My company is untouchable so they were cowardly enough to go for the only thing close to me."

"Kaiba-"

"But that doesn't matter. I've killed three out of the five business men already, and was able to do so because they used money and resources to delay their trials. Kichida will be my last target. I didn't use my wealth to put them in prison, because I wanted to deliver the payback myself, with my hands."

"Are you going to kill me too?" He asked somewhat forthrightly and expectedly. Knowing him, it seemed unlikely that the innocent would be spared if anyone got in the way when something involved Mokuba. Kaiba had pulled many dangerous, bordering on life-threatening situations for simple things, so it didn't come as a surprise to see that this was simply another one. But something was… peculiarly different, more menacing.

He started to lean against the wall in a contemplative manner. "You were an unexpected hole in my plan, but my retribution must be completely fulfilled before I can ever think about anything other than Mokuba's life. I didn't kill you because I still haven't beaten you, Yuugi, I feel as though you and I aren't through."

"I've already told you, my name isn't Yuugi. We only shared bodies, and that doesn't mean we hold the same name."

"I don't care. Preparations need to be made before the next murder and especially Kichida's death. I don't know when I'll be back."

"You're going to leave me in here?" He quickly sat up, tensing further.

Kaiba make a sound beneath a closed grin, his shoulders clearly shifting up and down as he laughed. "You won't die, stop whining."

"Kaiba, you can't-"

The crash of the door interrupted.

* * *

Yami squirmed against the concrete floor, desperately wanting the ability to wriggle his arms out of the chains and support his wound.

He was angry, putting it lightly, but he took this time to contemplate his situation despite his excruciating pain. Yami could understand revenge, and murder wasn't something to gawk at until he was introduced to Yuugi's fears and beliefs. They had soon molded into his own morals, penalty games became less frequent, and murder just seemed taboo recently.

Kaiba had no spiritual powers or guidance from anyone close enough to affect him. The most he could do, what he compelled himself to do was to payback at the same rate it was delivered in the first place: by murder. The notion that life was a game and humans were just the players served as the root of Kaiba's actions, however when it came to his brother the concept was forced into a blurred line. He had begun to respect human life a bit more, however with Mokuba gone it seemed as though he was referring back to his old ways.

Yami came to his last position before giving up movement.

All he could tell was that it had been at least two days, because he went through terrible bouts of hunger and thirst. His energy had severely depleted, along with his will to hold onto the hope of escaping. But he still couldn't grasp the concept that Kaiba was still keeping him alive.

Yes, dueling was important. Kaiba had grown respect for his place as a duelist, and in turn Yami respected him. Perhaps just as Mokuba kept Kaiba's grip on some sort of warped normalcy, so did being a duelist. Perhaps he was trying to salvage what was left by keeping Yami alive. With that, there was still some sort of small hope.

A small, almost futile hope, but still one nonetheless.

He closed his eyes again, allowing the cold to discomfort his sleep.

"Get up," Kaiba's distant voice called.

He opened his eyes to the small light coming from the door and cringed. Yami could feel harsh, cold hands pushing his back onto the wall and almost spoke out, but was instead faced with a bottle pressed against his lips that sent a rush of cold liquid into his throat.

"You're becoming somewhat of a liability. I keep forgetting to do this."

He waited until the bottle was finished, which only turned out to be half the container- probably Kaiba's leftover, to respond. "… You're lack of empathy probably forgets to remind you…"

His voice was too tired to sound the way he had conjured the tone in his mind. He somewhat held onto the prospect of food coming afterwards, but Kaiba simply tossed the bottle to the corner of the basement, removing his hand roughly from Yami's chin. "Things aren't working like this, so I have devised a plan."

Yami shut his eyes, anticipating that a cold, steel gun was going to take place at his temple, and envisioned the sight of Yuugi's intense melancholy at the aftermath. He breathed.

But instead, he felt a different material forced around his ankle. It was the feeling of a leather type strap wrapped around his skin, along with a large oval-shaped object attached to the side. The cuffs were unlocked one by one and Yami could only stare in disbelief as Kaiba's large, firm hands removing the metal.

"There are points set around. If you step outside the boundary of this house's walls, then you'll receive an electric shock powerful to knock you out for hours." He could faintly see Kaiba's smirk as he stated this, satisfaction set heavy on his expression.

"You're… taking me out there?"

"The only way you're getting out there is if you get there yourself. If you really want to get out of here you'll muster up some strength," he stated, standing back up.

As he slipped through the door way, he took the bag with him. Yami briefly looked around as if contemplating how he should move without immediately falling limp. His head still faintly throbbed but it was nowhere near enough to prevent him from getting out. He tested out his arms and legs, stretching them before crawling over to the stair case and holding onto the railing for support. He made wobbled steps, breathing slowly and shallowly as if the slightest sign of powerful wind would knock him down.

He finally took hold of the door, pushing himself into the lightened room until his force accidently causing his body to teeter forward and into the floor. He expected a hard landing like the concrete before, but instead faced a soft carpet and contrastingly stood Kaiba in front of him, arms folded and feet planted firm.

Yami merely groaned, rolling his eyes as a sign of being irritated. His lids frequently scrunched and wrinkled in the newfound source of light, so he dismissed the idea of looking around. He heard Kaiba's footsteps treading away and merely laid himself back down onto the carpet, feeling himself falling asleep. The lack of sustenance consequently caused lack of energy and he knew he should have brought himself to find something, but his mind and body both fought to relax.

But as soon as the sound of bullets being placed in a gun reached his ears, his eyes shot open.

"What are you doing?"

Kaiba was on the other side of the room, behind a wall Yami continued to stare at as if it were him. There wasn't an answer, but Yami already made the assumption that he was going out to handle one of the men, and he merely turned his head away. Not long after, he felt hands forcing him up by the collar and obliging him to stand.

"It would be wise to remember that little trinket snaked around your leg while I'm gone. I should be back in a few hours."

Yami felt himself fall back onto the ground as Kaiba again walked away, this time shutting the front door harshly as he left.


	3. Wait Until it Fades to Black

**A/N** This Daimon is more like the one from season zero that actually cares about Kaiba and serves him regardless of the circumstance (even near death he helped Kaiba). I feel that he would be the one person that Kaiba could actually trust with this and without Mokuba, Kaiba is pretty desperate for some form of trust and assistance. "Technically" this is a twist on canon. In this, Daimon isn't sickly and obviously is still alive.

_Thank you to __**Coolaloo, D17-pharaohfox, Whitewolf, The Solitude, Inopportune Opportunist, JollyBigSis,**__ and __**Kaibaman64**__ for reviewing! I really appreciate it!_

…/

**Hang 'Em High**

_3. Wait Until it Fades to Black_

…/

An hour never passed that it ceased to cross his mind.

It was either that voice, that face, or sometimes even a mixture of both formed to prod at him with the aim of inducing guilt. Sometimes he would falter, but it was rare and alone. And as he dug his nails into the car seat, gritting his teeth and staring ahead, he thought about the body in the trunk. He had yet to lay hands on the wheel, compelled by the overwhelming urge to not allow this to remain bound with such feelings.

Regardless, he started the car before anything could happen that would threaten his departure. Due to the several paranoid induced fears that his childhood had infected him with, his mindset had put him on edge while driving. He was constantly reminded that death could happen anywhere, especially in everyday routines; when you would least expect it, when you would most expect it. It was at any time. His brow furrowed deeper.

The expected or unexpected death of a personal affair however, was something Gozaburo never bothered to touch on.

-x-

When he heard the door open, his eyes fluttered in response and somehow Yami found the strength to sit up anxiously, most likely out of desperation.

He saw Kaiba, his threatening expression soon turning into a humored one, and his hand reaching to fiddle with his sleeve. "Just like a dog, entirely too eager at the sight of life in a silent room."

Yami's skin had turned noticeably pale and his eyes were shot and dark, with a weak gleam in the color. Kaiba had taken notice of Yami's change, but simply averted his sight to the furniture and then back at him, walking slowly. He soon stood there looking down at the slightly hunched over figure and quickly seized him by the shoulder.

Yami let out a small gasp in surprise, next being pushed into the couch and soon abandoned. It had happened at an entirely too fast pace- his mouth was still slightly open from the breath.

His eyelids were weighing down, but he shot up when he felt something being shoved into his lap.

"Here," his voice had said with a firm tone.

The aroma had enthralled him before the sight could and Yami's stomach immediately howled eagerly in reaction. He couldn't force back the widening of his eyes or the slight, very slight, tremble in his fingers, so he immediately began eating, but not so harsh as to make him seem too animalistic in front of Kaiba who would have been far too humored.

He was alone again, but didn't notice until midway into his dining. He carried on until everything was ridden of, looking around with the minor expectation of catching Kaiba somewhere nearby. He soon appeared again, this time from a different corner and a laptop in hand. Without glancing back at Yami, he took a seat into the chair across from him. There was silence.

Admittedly he felt fortunate that he wasn't rotting in the lower ground floor, and kept the quiet thriving until Kaiba looked like he was done, shutting the laptop and placing it on the glass coffee table centered in the room. Kaiba closed his eyes, head slightly tilted back, and took one harsh breath before calming himself.

He wanted to hold it in, but after two days and only a few words spoken, Yami felt the need to communicate, and Kaiba's rigid form seemed too menacing to be left alone. "Doesn't Kichida notice the other men being killed? Wouldn't he be hard to kill if he hired extra protection?"

His piercing eyes shot open quicker than a second, and Yami tensed.

"Never mind. I shouldn't have-"

"I have someone tracking his every move, and if anything he would simply move to a different location rather than hire more guards."

"Ah…"

"He fails to realize the vital aspects of business, which is partly the reason he's far behind my company. Good technology doesn't compensate for lack of business skills."

There were a few more moments of silence before Kaiba closed his eyes again.

"… How did Mokuba die?"

"They _shot_ him and if you don't shut up the same will happen to you."

Yami turned his head to towards the corner of the room, still tensed as he kept his mouth tight and heard the distant and faint breaths Kaiba made. The door had started to make noises and Yami shot up similar to the way he did when Kaiba had walked in, however Kaiba wasn't moving. He didn't even open his eyes to see who it was.

An elderly man appeared from the doorway, carrying a briefcase and a tray covered with a sheet. Yami frantically looked to Kaiba and the man, back and forth in anticipation for an explanation, but Kaiba didn't move, and the man ignored Yami as he briskly walked into a room down the hall. He almost asked Kaiba who it was, but remembered how he was already teetering on thin ice.

"I don't want it, Daimon." Kaiba abruptly spoke without opening his eyes. "Not now."

"Very well. Everything has been accounted for and thoroughly looked through. There are no traces." Yami heard faintly from the distance, the voice muffled behind walls.

Kaiba grunted as if he could hear him, and the room fell silent again.

Yami writhed unnervingly.

-x-

_His hands were smaller, the surrounding obscurity felt overpowering, and he felt his hands snake around a small, thin neck._

_All he felt was an overwhelming sense of anger, but his mind couldn't grasp on the reason why as he squeezed tighter and tighter until the dark musk had cleared way, presenting the owner of the throat he was clutching in his hands._

"_Mokuba…" he breathed slightly in horror and tried to unlatch his hands, but they felt like cement, fixed there until he couldn't even control his entire body as it pushed Mokuba against a wall. _

"_N-n" His brother couldn't push his jaw down far enough to speak words. All that resounded was his small whines and groans beneath Kaiba's grip hold. He soon felt a wet sensation streak down through the crevasses between his fingers and looked closer to see his brother gritting his teeth, scrunching his eyes together as they bred tears._

_He cursed furiously in his mind, telling his body to stop, but the grip felt tighter, and then suddenly the figure beneath him stopped struggling and felt tons too heavy. Mokuba's face had loosened his expression and his fingers had stopped clawing their way onto Kaiba's hands as he slipped out of the hold, falling limp onto the ground. "Mokuba…!"_

_His body refused to move until he felt like he wasn't even attached to it anymore. He could feel nothing of the body beneath his head, and bit down hard as he continued to stare helplessly at the lifeless corpse._

And then suddenly he took a heavy breath, lurching forward as he opened his eyes and felt sweat starting to bead from his skin.

He continued with his staggered breaths as he clutched the arms of the chair, eyes dilated in a blurred mess. His chest felt like it was carrying enough weight that it heaved and ached. Adrenaline kicking in, his eyes began to dart around the room to see if the surrounding area was familiar, capturing the vision of Yami carefully walking towards him with his arm slightly held out.

"Are you…" he began to speak, but Kaiba had promptly smacked his hand away.

"Don't touch me."

Yami took a step backwards, observing as Kaiba tried to gather himself by swiftly getting up and pausing before he left the room. Yami slowly made his way back onto the couch, retaining the slight fear that he would be punished after baring witness to Kaiba's debilitated state. Kaiba hated many things and pity fared well above most, particularly the kind offered from an adversary.

He decided to step lightly over to one of the many doors in the hall. If anything, he could claim to have been searching for the bathroom, though he still expected to face quite an amount of rage from Kaiba regardless. He had really been unrelenting in pressing his luck lately, though through all of the threats Yami felt that they were merely a part of a bluffing game.

He found himself pressing a hand on the door, wincing as it drew forward. With regret still lingering in his mind he slowly moved his head as he tried for a glance at what was inside. When immediately faced with Kaiba's figure shifting among the room, Yami swiftly flinched back, but then looked again once he realized that his entrance was ignored.

Kaiba was furiously grabbing things from draws and setting them on the bed, and speaking what sounding like rambling mutters to himself. Soon afterwards he began pulling his long-sleeved, black turtleneck off and tossed it carelessly onto the floor. Yami grimaced and made a slight noise when he saw what lay underneath. His shirt had hidden faint but noticeable scars on his black, and one scar slightly darker than the others resided in the crook of his left elbow.

But in the midst of Yami's staring Kaiba's gaze had drifted over to the door, anger immediately taking hold of his expression. A word was not spoken however the door was shut in such haste that Yami's fingers were a second away from getting caught.

He stood motionless, hearing only the muffled sound of water running through pipes and out a drain.


End file.
